Rainbow Warrior hull arrives in Germany

It takes a village to raise a child. It's taken five months of expert ship building in the Maritim Shipyard in Gdanks, Poland, to build the hull of the new Rainbow Warrior. Yesterday afternoon it arrived by tug in Fassmer Shipyard in Bremen, Germany, where construction will continue until October 2011.

Towage by tug boat of the 340 tonne hull, measuring 57,92m long x 11,30m wide, took two days. Though it's not quite a ship yet, news of the future Rainbow Warrior's hull arriving made regional news headlines today.

We have made a huge act of faith to commission a replacement for our current Rainbow Warrior. The new ship will be a green, purpose-built vessel that will sail the oceans making waves, bearing witness, promoting solutions, engaging the public and taking part in creative, nonviolent actions.

The new ship will cost EUR 20.3 million to build, and whilst we realise it's a large sum of money it's also a massive investment to protect the planet.